Battle Doll back up

   My name is Emiko Serizawa, and today was when I got my third doll. I am 18 years old as of today. I know living in America that is a bit young for getting a third doll as Americans traditionally don't get them till they are 25 years old and I can't legally use mine in battles for another 7 years; in America anyway; if we visit Japan I can, and the UK. I know traditions vary from country to country in the United Kingdom they get their third doll as young as 16, Mexico I heard its even as young as 13 or 15. My parents are from Japan, I may have been born in the US but my parents insisted upon following their home country's traditions for dolls.

   As everyone knows you get three special dolls, the first when you are born you recieve the protection doll. Mine is a tiny faceless paper doll in a Kimono; the typical protection from getting sick and warning me and anyone around of nearby dangers like people with ill intent, rabid animals; on-coming traffict, and so forth. Basic little kid stuff. My second doll, the education doll I got when I was three; again I understand in America its not till you're five typically; but the second doll's purpose is education. Mine is a plush lion, I also have a little black and white plush cartoon girl and a plastic teacher doll, the second was a gift from my grandmother, and the teacher doll was what the school gave us; the school system gives everyone these formal education dolls. So I guess I did end up one of those people who get accussed of being a doll collector. Its not illegal, I mean, plenty of people typically have four to six dolls; granted alot only ever have two because if the family can't afford or doesn't have an extra to hand down hospitals will give newborns their first doll, and like I said schools hand out the pretty basic plastic education dolls. I have a friend who has like eight dolls, they are all protection dolls. She said she hoarded them to hand down to her kids or any nieces and nephews who might need them; she gave away her education doll when she graduated; donated it back to the school; which is pretty typical. I just couldn't bare to part with them so they stay by my work desk on a shelf with my protection doll.

   Huh? Uh, yeah there also lifeless dolls but we don't call them dolls anymore, just plushies or toys, figurines, that sort of thing; what a weird question. Must be a translation error; huh...my third doll? Yeah I got her this morning, as I turned 18 I could legally buy a battle doll, just not enter one in competition till I am 25 in this country. I am told traditionally they act as body guards and for "the games", a world wide tradition. My grandparents told me in the old days people used to have to walk miles into the mountains to doll shrines, paying the shrine with offerings of food, materials, and even money to upkeep the shrine for them to craft the battle doll. Regular dolls don't have bodies capable of fighting, heck they can't hurt anyone or anything, too small and soft; their whole deal is magically warding off microbes, detecting bad vibes, and education. Most people back in the day didn't even have battle dolls. My parents say the tradition isn't really a tradition and suddenly exploded only around the 1950's' but I think that is still pretty long ago; for me anyway I guess. It was according to my grandparents more something only nobles, religious leaders, and maybe even crime bosses had; but then some shrine folk shared the secrets for money and suddenly it shot up everywhere as contests to have dolls fighting each other as a sport. It got pretty big in America; I guess that's why the legal age ended up being so high for competitions; it is a gambling scene I heard and alot of unsavory folks like to spend stupid amounts of money enhancing their dolls, training them, and that sort of thing.

  My brother is a competitor; in fact that's who I got the plush lion education doll from; when he turned eighteen he gave me his plush lion doll, my grandmother had already given me the cartoon girl and the school the plastic one; so yeah I guess I should have said earlier, cartoon doll, plastic doll, and then plush lion doll. My brother though is a show off, he has his battle doll assume a human form, has her walk around like she's his girlfriend; but just looking at her weird blue hair and glittery eyes will tell anyone right away she's not human.